One-piece sucker rod



Nov. 2, 1948. P. F. ROSSMANN ONE-PIECE SUCKER ROD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1945 'INVENTOR. PETER F. RDSSMANN Patented Nov. 2, i948- I ours-risen SUCKER RQD F Peter Frlto ssmann, Morris towmN. J. ilipuc uo ma 1945, Serial N6. 592,229

The invention relates to an improved technique inthe method of removingsucker rods from and of inserting them into a well; to apparatus for use in practicing the method andito an improved form of article ofmanufacture,hereinafter referred to as a jointless sucker rod particularly designed for use in practicing the method.

Sucker rods as heretofore constructed are formed ofshort steel rod sections with an end of one screwedinto theend .of the next adjacent section; In order to compensate for theweakening effectof the joints, the ends of the sections are enlarged in diameter from that of the sections at theifmid lengths. These joint enlargements necessitate the employment ofadditional metal which simply adds weight to the structure without materially contributing to the functional capacity of the sucker rod while in use and on the contrary set up localstrains which tend eventu allyto shorten the life of the rods. j

These'sectionalrods' are assembled at the place of use by screwing one into the other and 'asthe string of sections are thus formed it is lowered tour and theouter surfaces of the sections become nicked and bruised with the result that thesectionsso damaged eventually fail in use under the powerful reciprocating action to which strings of such rods are subjected. "Suckerrods as now usedkievelop fatigue stresses which become pai ticularly prevalent in those sections which have not been carefully formed and subsequently protected, with the result that thestring as a whole develops areasof weakness which shorten its life. i The present disclosure features a new technique intthe handling ofsucker rods at the well in that a form of sucker :rod of any necessary length is provided whichcan be lifted out of the well from time toutime. and laid on the ground or on an appropriate bed for the same to take a period of rest while so lyin dormant and in this Way 'tends'to avoid fatigue strains irre-. spective as to where they may be localized.

u The primarycobject of the articleaspect' of inventionis to providea simple formofsucker .rod,

2 Claims. (Cl. 255---11) it which can be introduced into and withdrawn from thewell without necessity of assembling ordemounting separate screw sections thereof,

andin this way affect a saving in operating costs as well as minimizing the possibility of damaging the rod.

Broadly, {the invention features a one-piece homogeneous sucker rod capable of functioning as-does the present string of sucker rods in reaching from the Walking beam or similar mechanism above the ground to the pump, toolor other device operated thereby at the bottom of the well. Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obviousfrom an in spection" of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the; following particular description of one form of device emsucker rod at least partially intruded into a well and before being attached to the Walking beam; i

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a sucker rod shown in Fig. 1 with its entire length hanging vertically with the central portion thereof broken outat two places to economize in length and constituting a preferred embodiment of the article aspect of this disclosure with a Walking beam connector secured to its upper end; Fig. 2ais a detail in end elevation of the connector shownin Fig. 2. it 3 Fig. 3 is a detailedview of the guide rollers shown above the mouth of the well in Fig. 1 and taken on. the line 3-.3 of Fig. 1 looking down wardly as shown by the arrows. 3 i Fig. 4 is a detail'of the trough-forming part of giie cradleof Fig. 1 and taken on the line 4-4 of gel; 9 l Fig. 5 is a detailshowing a walking beam con nector engaging thesucker rod herein featured atapoint intermediate itsends to permit a fur:

ther'feedingof the rod as a Whole into the well and designed for use where there is suflicient flexibility in the cradle to permit the necessary re ciprocationofthe rod. g Fig. v6 is aview partially in side elevation of a reel on. which the rod is conveyed toits place oil use. with. associated straightening rollers;

. the derrick It. I a long, open top tubular channel-like trough; l3

ture including an upstanding derrick In of conventional design and a cradle ll having one end secured to one side of the derrick and extending therefrom for a material distance or asfar as may,

be necessary to function as hereindisclosed.

- protective coating 24.

There is also shown the upper or mouth end of a well indicated by its casing l2 andicentered I conventionally within the outlines of the base of The cradle i I includes primarily provided with a horizontally extending intake end l4 andwith a depending discharge end l5 above the; wel13casing [2. The cradle-extends somewhat like an amusement park roller coaster above the-ground level indicated by the line a b and thetrough I3 is supported by a skeleton form of framework iii. The derrick is provided with a conventionalform of walking beamll to which sucker rods are usually attached, but in the showing in Fig.v l thewalking beam is free-:from any sucker rod asthis figure is intended to-illustrate indifierently the Withdrawing or insertion'of the sucker rod and for this reason the sucker rod I8 is n'otshown in its usual'vertically suspended operative position. The suckerrod I8 as'shown in 'Fig. 2 is provided at itsfreeupper end. with a walking beamconnector 19 by means of which it is secured to an end of the walking beam H. The lower end of the rod i8 has attached thereto a pump, bucket; tool or other form of deep well tool shown symbolically at 20. For the purpose of receiving the attachments I9 and 20, the ends of the rod are fashioned to have these ends of the rod clamped by some suitable or conventional form of clamping means 2i. Inorder to provide sucker rods of variable active lengths so as to reach down the well for the necessary distance, it is suggested in Fig. 5 that the walking beam connector 19 be designed to engage the rod at any point along itslength and as shown in this figure the connector is shown secured in place at the point where the rod; begins to arcfrom its straight depending position on tothe direction changing cradle. .By- I loosening the clamping means associated with the connector, it may be momentarily freed from the rod and more and moreof the rod may then be fed down the well until the tool lit-is initsdesired new position and the connector isthen replaced to engage its new location on the rod. I l I The rod is preferably 'of cylindrical 'form' and of :cold rolled steel with a length sufiicient-to reach from the surface to the bottom of thetwell;

'found that with a sucker rod of this dimension and material it can be bent about a reel; of about one hundred sixteen inchesin diameter and keep within the elastic limits of the bar. For'the'pure pose of this disclosure it is understoomthatthere 4 a is no part of the cradle trough which'has a radius of less than sixty inches. In the showing in Fig. 8 such a rod 22 is shown provided along its core with a bore 23.

Care is exercised in the preparation of and subsequent handling of rods of this" character to insure that the surface is free of nicks, hammer blows, or kinks which might tend to cause the rodto rupture after it had been in use for awhile.

Inorder'to "provide protection tothe *outer surfaceof the rod when either of'a solid or'tubular form, it is suggested that it be shielded with a lyticallydeposited metal 24 like nickel is indicated in Fig. 8 as being a suitable protective coating. It.:is understood, of course, that the weight of such .a long rod causes it to elongate when in use and thus "imposes internal strains thereon but it is ,the'intent here in to provide a rod which while providing for this unavoidable elongation at. the same .time. .will develop, theleastv possible distorting .st'rains... As the.. present. disclosure eliminates the usual knuckles formedby the, ens

' largements. at thelends of the .sucker-jrod sec-.

tions, now in use, it is possible. to use: rods. of great-. erdiameter thanusual thus tending. to. reduce internal strain withtheuse of no moremetal than .is used atpresent. for the same length. of sucker rod string.

. It is a, feature of this dis-closureto lay therod nat on the ground before .it is inserted intothe well in order to eliminate kinks, bends and other wise .condition it for its intended use. .It isals-o suggested. that fromtimeto time the rod be With.-

e drawn and laid horizontaland, thus. to give .the

rod, periods of .rest. It is appreciated thatzthis movementnecessitates. the bending, of the rodas it moves. to and. from its; horizontal. and .vertical positions. and this is attained bytrainingthewire about a large arcofHturn. Care must be usedsin designing this-arc to make.surethatthecurirature'of the rodas it is being bent-from oneposie tion into the otheris within-,the elastic:-.limit: .of the material of which :the rodiis formed..

These factors are taken into consideration in designing .the'cu-rve of the-trough .13 as viewedin side. elevation in .F'ig.v 1. Between the intakeendl l and'a point 25 of maximum elevationthe curve is of gradual -and-.-progressively decreasing-radius;

and fromthe-point of highest elevation 25 tothe discharge end l5 rthe-curve forms substantially a arc with arelatively small radius. indicated by the radial linea -11. It is particularlyin thearea of-this-arc of: small radius that the curvature of the-rod shouldbe within and preferably'well with in its elastic limit. a

While it is within-the scope of thedisclosureto insert "the rod intothe well using =conventionalcable-feedingpractices-in this respect; it is preferable to makexsure that .the.rocl is absolutely" straight at thetimeof 'itsfirst installation: Rods of this type are usually supplied byithemanufacturerwon large diametered reelsysuch as is shown at 2 6 and, these reels: are mounted-for rotation .on someiorm of support 2-1 andxare otherwise 'designedto q permit .a. smooth withdrawal of lithe somewhat rigid r0d. At the-time of :the. first in.-i stallationrthe rod-is slowly unwound from-the reel, care being; exercisedtto :pr'otect its-surface from abrasions,- knocks or other. surface damages during: this-operation. The rod as .it: is. 'unreeled is "first. laid-fiat .on: the? ground and preferably is.

passed between. a set of rod straightening rollers 28 30f. 1 any: conventional designs .;:Preferably. flung lengths-lot therrod; are ;.permittedf.to' be fiatioma A thin coating of electrotime and the rod is then passed into the intake end M of the trough I3; is trained upwardly and then downwardly about the large compound curve defined by the trough and when in depending position is preferably passed through a set of guide rollers 29 located above the mouth of the well and beneath the discharge end iii of the trough. The rod is permitted to remain with its entire length suspended in the well for a period of time sufficient to permit molecular readjustments of the material of which the rod is formed before being subjected to actual use. The rod so straightened is then carefully lifted from the well, trained upwardly about the short are and then downwardly about the long curve provided by the cradle and drawn therefrom by traction to lie flat on the ground or on a horizontal support designed to form a horizontal cradle for the rod while being rested.

When ready for use, the advance end of the rod is provided with the required well tool and the rod reintroduced into the well with its rear or trailing end projected above the well. To the upper or trailing end is secured the walking beam connector I9 and which in turn is secured conventionally to the walking beam, or as previously de scribed in connection with Fig. 5 the walking beam may act on a part of the rod which need not necessarily be its end. The sucker rod thus formed operates conventionally with a slow reciprocatory action up and down as does the known forms of strings of sectional sucker rods.

After a period of use, or when necessary to replace the tool 29, the rod is withdrawn from the well as previously outlined and again laid flat on the ground for a period of rest after which it is again installed for active use.

By means of a rod of this character it is possible, after it has been once corrected for kinks or other irregularities, to insert and remove it quickly from the well without necessity of screwing or unscrewing the separate sections as is required with present forms of sectional sucker rods. As the one-piece sucker rod herein featured can be easily protected along its entire length while being inserted or withdrawn from its operative position in the well, there is avoided the present current possibilities of injuring the surface of the rod by careless handling in screwing the sections together and in stacking them while not in use. In those cases where the rod is electroplated, care is exercised to maintain the bright polish formed on the rods in the case of such metals as nickel and in this way the possibility of starting cracks or breaks in the surface of the rod is avoided or at least minimized.

The form of rod herein disclosed features econ omy in the use of materiaL. With the present known forms of detachable sucker rod it is necessary to enlarge the end portions of each section in order to compensate for the weakening eifect of using threaded joints. featured has no such joints thus has no need for compensating enlarged knuckles and in general the cross section of material need be of no greater dimension than the minimum cross sectional area of material in the mid-length portions of present forms of sucker rods; or difierently expressed, the new rod may be made of less material and thus lighter per unit length than the strings of sucker rods now in general use.

Referring to the pivotally mounted form of trough shown in Fig. 7, it will be understood that it may be substituted in whole or in part for the discharge end of the Fig. 1 form of the inven- The rod herein i ill tion. Instead of clamping the walking beam to an intermediate portion of the rod as suggested in Fig. 5 the rod in the Fig. 7 form may be progressively fed down the well while the portion both in the well and on the trough is being elevated and lowered. For this purpose in the Fig, 7 showing the rockable trough has its free end. connected to the walking beam by connect-or l9 and is raised and lowered swinging about its remote pivot 33. In this way the portion of the rod extending into the well and also the portion of the rod extending into the trough is reciprocated up and down by the walking beam either while being held fixed to the trough or while being fed through the same.

Iclaim:

1. Apparatus for guiding a long continuous sucker rod from a horizontal position on the ground into its operative position depending vertically in a well, comprising a cradle having a horizontally disposed intake end for receiving the rod and a vertically disposed discharge end for guiding the rod into the well, and cradle portion between said intake and discharge ends defining a continuous curve gradually curving upward from its intake end to a point of maximum elevation and curving from said point of maximum elevation downwardly to its discharge end, said downward curve being more sharply defined than its upward curve endwithin the elastic limit sition depending vertically in an associated. well,

comprising a cradle having a horizontally disposed intake end for receiving the rod and having a vertically disposed discharge end for guiding the rod into the well, that portion of the cradle. between its intake and discharge ends defining a continuous curve gradually curving upward from its intake end to a point of maximum elevation and curving from said point of maximum elevation downwardly to its discharge end,

i said downward curve being more sharply defined than said upward curve end within the elastic limit of said rod, means for pivotally mounting .said cradle to permit reciprocation of its vertical discharge end to thereby reciprocate the portion of said rod depending into said well, and means for reciprocating the discharge end of said cradle.

PETER F. ROSSMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Certificate of Correction Patent N 0. 2,453,038. November 2, 1948.

PETER F. ROSSMANN It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 6, line 23, claim 1, for the words and cradle read the cradle;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of March, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY, Assistant G'ommz'sse'oner of Patents. 

